Damon Albarn Brings All Cuts to Walt Disney Concert Hall

Damon Albarn performing at Walt Disney Concert Hall by Dustin Downing on behalf of the LA Phil

HIS ONLY US PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR INCLUDED GORILLAZ AND BLUR CUTS

The day is January 24, 2022 and it is my first press show of the new year. Gorillaz and Blur frontman Damon Albarn is in the news but not really for his show in downtown LA, but for an interview with the LA Times. Albarn made some claims regarding Taylor Swift’s songwriting chops which ended in a brief Twitter spat. Altogether, I was anticipating his show, not because of this, but due to the choice of venue and allowance of intimacy that would come of it.

With his latest solo effort on Transgressive label, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, Albarn executes more luscious tunes with the usage of string and piano arrangements. This is what made the Walt Disney Concert Hall the perfect venue to showcase said music. Shows at this venue require the audience to place their phones on silent and away from view such as a movie theatre might. This allows for a a greater experience of observation, but the crowd for the concert was heavily mixed. Younger audience members wearing Blur tees could be found sitting next to couples that probably enjoy the monthly hall orchestra performances. It was surely a nice sight, especially with this older gentleman sitting in the center orchestra section. He attended Tame Impala at the Forum in 2020 where I saw him dance with some intense spins. I didn’t think he would be able to make any of his world famous moves at the hall, but I ate my words quick.

Three string players, two on violin and one on upright bass took their chairs respectively with Albarn and bass player Seye Adelekan following. Albarn fixed himself on his stool and looked around at a room full of fans giving him a standing ovation before a single note was played. He then went into the title track of his latest solo effort as well as “Royal Morning Blue” and “Darkness to Light.” It wasn’t until almost the middle of the show that Albarn broke character and interacted with the audience, providing smiles to fans while he took swigs of wine.

I didn’t anticipate too many Gorillaz or Blur tracks, but maybe one or two just to alleviate the fandom. About half the set consisted of fan favorites “Beetlebum” and “Tender.” The cheers echoed nicely in unison with the acoustics of the hall. Every single Gorillaz or Blur track was met with high applause. Albarn’s rendition of “On Melancholy Hill” amazed and brought me back to his livestream set at Glastonbury 2021. That very performance is what invigorated my admiration for Albarn not just for his bands but as a solo artist mostly. I never understood how Blur could be in the conversation for best Brit band against Oasis who have a plethora of hits, but Albarn deserves massive credit.

My favorite part of the night came when the upright bass player bang the opening riff to “Rhinestone Eyes.” I had no idea how this would translate to string arrangements, but it worked very well and even brought the older gentleman to his feet, spinning with delight. Throughout the entire performance, the audience went from chants to claps congruent with the chords being played. One fan brought everyone to laughter including Albarn when he shouted, “You’re fucking awesome Damon.”

At the very end of the set, Albarn spoke about his LA Times interview, which was met with more laughter. He spoke of how he was thrown into the media abyss by the interviewer, and how he was asked whether he’d perform Blur’s hit “Song 2.” The crowd wanted it bad and Albarn stated that he had been rehearsing it for a few days and thus, broke into song with a dedication to LA Times interviewer Mikael Wood. Although rather stripped back, the song was amped as ever, with the audience screaming “Woo hoo” along with Albarn. The performance ended on that note with another standing ovation. Albarn jumped up and down in excitement, showing his humble gratitude for the evening. Calling attending this show “lucky” is a grand understatement. Check out the set list here!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!